Planning a trip to Phoenix
You’ll find tourist information desks with helpful folks in purple jackets in all three terminals at Sky Harbor Airport. The city’s main visitor center, the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, is at 125 N. Second St., Ste. 120 (www.visitphoenix.com; tel. 877/225-5749; Monday–Friday 8am–5pm), across from the main entrance of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix.
If you’re staying in Scottsdale, you can get information at the Scottsdale Tourist Information Center (www.experiencescottsdale.com; tel. 800/782-1117; Monday–Saturday 9am–6pm, Sunday 10am–5pm), located in the food court of Scottsdale Fashion Square, the mall on the northwest corner of Camelback and Scottsdale roads. Main Arteries & Streets
AZ Loop 101 forms a loop around the east, north, and west sides of the Valley, providing freeway access to Scottsdale from I-17 on the north side of Phoenix and from U.S. 60 in Tempe.
I-17 (Black Canyon Fwy.), which connects Phoenix with Flagstaff, is the city's main north-south freeway. This freeway curves to the east just south of downtown (where it is renamed the Maricopa Fwy. and merges with I-10). I-10, which connects Phoenix with Los Angeles and Tucson, is called the Papago Freeway on the west side of the Valley and as it passes north of downtown; as it curves around to pass to the west and south of the airport, it merges with I-17 and is renamed the Maricopa Freeway. At Tempe, this freeway curves to the south and heads out of the Valley.
North of the airport, Ariz. 202 (Red Mountain Fwy.) heads east from I-10 and passes along the north side of Tempe, providing access to downtown Tempe, Arizona State University, Mesa, and Scottsdale (via U.S. Loop 101). On the east side of the airport, Ariz. 143 (Hohokam Expwy.) connects Ariz. 202 with I-10.
At the interchange of I-10 and Ariz. 202, northwest of Sky Harbor Airport, Ariz. 51 (Piestewa Fwy.) heads north through the center of Phoenix to U.S. Loop 101 and is the best north-south route in the city.
South of the airport off I-10, U.S. 60 (Superstition Fwy.) heads east to Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, and Gilbert. AZ Loop 101 leads north from U.S. 60 (and Ariz. 202) through Scottsdale and across the north side of Phoenix to connect with I-17. U.S. 60 and AZ Loop 101 provide the best route from the airport to the Scottsdale resorts. AZ Loop 101 also heads south through Chandler to connect with I-10. This section is called the Price Freeway. The section of this freeway north through Scottsdale is called the Pima Freeway.
Secondary highways in the Valley include the Beeline Highway (Ariz. 87), which starts at the east end of Ariz. 202 (Red Mountain Fwy.) in Mesa and leads to Payson, and Grand Avenue (U.S. 60), which starts downtown and leads west to Sun City and Wickenburg.
Phoenix and the surrounding cities of Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, and Chandler, and even those cities farther out in the Valley, are laid out in a grid pattern with major avenues and roads about every mile. For traveling east to west across Phoenix, your best choices (other than the above-mentioned freeways) are Camelback, Indian School, and McDowell roads. For traveling north and south, 44th Street, 24th Street, and Central Avenue are good choices. Hayden Road is a north-south alternative to Scottsdale Road, which gets jammed at rush hours.
Finding an Address
Central Avenue, which runs north to south through downtown Phoenix, is the starting point for all east-and-west street numbering. Washington Street is the starting point for north and south numbering. North-to-south numbered streets are to be found on the east side of the city, while north-to-south numbered avenues will be found on the west. For the most part, street numbers advance by 100 with each block. Odd-numbered addresses are on the south and east sides of streets, while even-numbered addresses are on the north and west sides of streets.
For example, if you're looking for 4454 E. Camelback Rd., you'll find it 44 blocks east of Central Avenue between 44th and 45th streets on the north side of the street. If you're looking for 2905 N. 35th Ave., you'll find it 35 blocks west of Central Avenue and 29 blocks north of Washington Street on the east side of the street. Just for general reference, Camelback Road marks the 5000 block north. Also, whenever you're getting directions, ask for the cross street closest to where you're going. Street numbers can be hard to spot when you're driving past at 45 mph.
A Name Change -- In 2003, the official name of Phoenix's Squaw Peak was changed to Piestewa Peak (pronounced Pie-ess-too-uh) to honor Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa, a member of the Hopi tribe and the first female soldier killed in the Iraq War. The peak in north Phoenix has long been a popular hiking destination. If you hear people referring to both Squaw Peak and Piestewa Peak, it's one and the same place. Ditto for the Squaw Peak Parkway, which is now Piestewa Freeway.
Street Maps
The street maps handed out by rental-car companies may be good for general navigation around the city, but they are almost useless for finding a particular address if it is not on a major arterial; so as soon as you can, stop at a minimart and buy a Phoenix map. Unfortunately, you'll probably also have to buy a separate Scottsdale map. Alternatively, if you are a member of AAA, you can get a good Phoenix map before you leave home. You can also get a simple map at the airport tourist information desks or at the downtown visitor center. However, your best bet these days is to rent a car with a navigation system, or bring your own with you.
Getting There
By Plane
Sky Harbor International Airport, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd. (www.phxskyharbor.com; tel. 602/273-3300), is just a few minutes from downtown Phoenix, 20 minutes from Scottsdale. There are three terminals; running west to east, they are 2, 3, and 4. (Terminal 1 is gone.) Four, the newest, is a major hub for Southwest and American and has the best restaurants (including satellite versions of local favorites) and shops. Sky Harbor has a rep as a friendly airport, and it is. One warning: After scores of visits to the airport, I can say with certainty that the Wi-Fi service, by Boingo, is glitchy and can hijack your phone (and not send important texts and e-mails).
A sleek automated people mover, the SkyTrain ferries passengers from the terminals to long-term parking and a passenger drop-off station at 44th and Washington streets. That last is supposed to save people from having to negotiate the airport proper to drop off passengers. But SkyTrain is poorly designed, and there’s an awful lot of walking involved. If you’re traveling with kids, lots of baggage, or seniors, opt for being dropped off at your terminal. An extension that will take the SkyTrain to the big car-rental facility west of the airport is scheduled to open in 2020.
There are two entrances to Sky Harbor, east and west. The west entrance is convenient to downtown Phoenix and points west; it’s accessed by I-10 or 24th Street. Scottsdale and points northeast and southeast use the east entrance via the Hohokam Expressway (Ariz. 143), the Red Mountain Freeway (Ariz. 202), or 44th Street. The routing at Sky Harbor is complex and signage is hit-or-miss. If you’re driving in or out, remember that 24th Street is the west entrance (for downtown Phoenix) and 44th Street the east entrance (for Scottsdale). Keep an eye out for the sometimes hard-to-find signs and you should end up where you want to be.
There is also now an alternative airport on the east side of the Valley. The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, 6033 S. Sossaman Rd., Mesa (http://www.gatewayairport.com; tel. 480/988-7600) is served by Allegiant Airlines (www.allegiantair.com; tel. 702/505-8888), which has service from small cities in the Northwest and Midwest. Mesa is a southeast suburb, south of the Ariz. 202 Loop at the Power Road exit.
From the Airport to Your Lodgings
SuperShuttle (www.supershuttle.com; tel. 800/258-3826 or 602/244-9000) offers 24-hour door-to-door van service between Sky Harbor Airport and resorts, hotels, and homes throughout the Valley. Per-person shared-ride fares average $12 to $14 to the downtown and Tempe area, $16 to downtown Scottsdale, and $24 to $31 to north Scottsdale.
Taxis can be found outside all three terminals and cost only slightly more than shuttle vans. You can also call AAA/Yellow Cab (tel. 602/888-8888), Apache Taxi (tel. 480/557-7000), or Mayflower Cab (www.discountcab.com; tel. 602/955-1355). All taxis from the airport charge $5 for turning on the meter, $2.30 per mile, and a minimum fare of $15. Traffic delays are $23 an hour. There’s a flat fee of $17 to downtown Phoenix. A taxi from the airport to central Scottsdale is $30 and up in light traffic.
Both Uber and Lyft operate in the Valley; there’s a big savings over cab rates, but the drivers don’t know the city as well as professional cabbies.
Valley Metro Rail (www.valleymetro.org; tel. 602/253-5000), generally referred to as “the light rail,” is a key part of the city’s transformation. The airport is at the middle of a single 25-mile-long route running from northwest Phoenix to downtown, and then east past the airport to Tempe and Mesa. Metro runs daily every 12 to 20 minutes, between about 5am and 11pm (until 1:40am on weekends). At Sky Harbor, the SkyTrain will take you to the light-rail station at the corner of Washington and 44th streets. The ride to or from downtown or Tempe takes about 15 minutes and costs $2. There is no light rail service to Scottsdale. The Valley has an extensive bus system but it’s not designed to serve the airport; for the record, the 1, 13, 32, and 44 lines will get you there.
By Car
Phoenix is connected to Los Angeles and Tucson by I-10 and to Flagstaff via I-17. If you’re headed to the resorts in north Scottsdale, the easiest route is to take the Red Mountain Freeway (Ariz. 202) east to U.S. 101 N. (If you’re headed to central Scottsdale from the airport, you might ask the driver to take McDowell Road east through the beautiful Papago Buttes.) The Superstition Freeway (U.S. 60) leads east to Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler.
By Train
Time was a train trip from LA to Chicago took you through Phoenix; no more. Today there is no Amtrak service to Phoenix. If you’re tied to the magic of travel by rail, take Amtrak (www.amtrak.com; tel. 800/872-7245) to Tucson or Flagstaff and make your way to Phoenix via Arizona Shuttle (www.arizonashuttle.com; tel. 877/226-8060 or 928/226-8060). There is a closer stop to Phoenix, in the far south community of Maricopa, but you’ll then have to take your chances on a 45-minute drive with Uber or Lyft.
Getting Around
By Car
Phoenix is a sprawling Sun Belt metropolis; if you’re not bunking at ASU or sequestered downtown on a business trip, you need to make transportation plans. Uber and Lyft can take care of incidental needs, but if you are planning to poke around at some of the Valley’s major attractions, a rental car might be your most cost-effective option.
Outside downtown Phoenix and the ASU campus, there’s almost always plenty of free parking. Winter can get busier; during the tourist season, some of the newer restaurants have even resorted to that newfangled valet parking, which is generally free, but of course you want to tip the valets.
Renting a car isn’t hard, but just be aware that published daily rates nearly double once taxes and fees are added in. Expect to pay a bit more than you would in most mid-American cities—$300 or more a week in the winter, less in the desultory summer.
At Sky Harbor, all the major rental-car companies have desks at a big but efficient Rental Car Center just outside the airport, with free buses to ferry you on the quick trip to and from. I wouldn’t advise going there without an advance reservation in the high season; you can get hit with very high last-minute rates. There are also individual car-rental outlets scattered around town, though not that many in downtown proper. You can probably save a bit on your rental by picking up your car someplace other than the airport.
By Public Transportation
Valley Metro (www.valleymetro.org; tel. 602/253-5000) runs the buses and the light rail. The Phoenix public bus system does its best, but this is a big city with arteries a mile apart; it is not very useful to tourists. Fares on buses and the light rail are $2, $1 for seniors and kids. The Valley Metro light-rail system starts in the northwest part of the city and then runs along Central Avenue, through downtown Phoenix, and from there east to Tempe and Mesa. Attractions along or fairly close to the line include Uptown, the Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, Historic Heritage Square, Arizona Science Center, Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park, the airport, Tempe’s Mill Avenue shopping district, ASU, even the old Mormon Temple in Mesa. But be aware that “served by” in Phoenix Speak can mean “within a half-mile or a mile walk in 90-plus-degree heat,” and that the Metro does not run as frequently as a big city subway system does. Midmorning on a weekday, trains should come every 12 minutes, about every 15 minutes on Saturdays, and 20 on Sundays. The Metro’s 44th Street/Washington Street stop connects to the SkyTrain to the airport.
Of slightly more value to visitors is the Metro’s free Downtown Area Circulator (DASH), which goes up and down Central Avenue and 1st Avenue and then swings out to the State Capitol complex a mile west of downtown. It runs Monday through Friday from 6:30am to 6:30pm. There’s a transit hub close to the center of downtown, at Central Avenue and Van Buren Street. In Tempe, FLASH buses provide a similar service on a loop around Arizona State University, including Mill Avenue and Sun Devil Stadium, Monday through Friday from 7am to 6pm. The Tempe Transit Center is at Veterans and College avenues. Buses run every 10 or 12 minutes. For information on both DASH and FLASH, visit www.valleymetro.org or call tel. 602/253-5000.
In Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Trolley (www.scottsdaletrolley.com; tel. 480/421-1004) shuttle buses run between Scottsdale Fashion Square, the Fifth Avenue shops, the Main Street Arts district, and the Old Town district. These buses run daily from 11am to 9pm, with service every 10 minutes.
By Taxi or Uber
Phoenix’s sprawl can make the price of an ordinary taxi ride quite high. AAA Yellow Cab (www.yellowcabaz.com; tel. 602/252-5252) charges $2.75 for the first mile and $2.20 per mile thereafter. Lyft and Uber serve the Valley as well, and they are generally a lot cheaper than cabs; my only complaint is that the newer drivers sometimes lack basic knowledge of the city. It’s smart to make sure both you and the driver agree on where you’re going before you get into traffic.
Fast Facts
Dentist -- Call the Dental Referral Service (www.dentalreferral.com; tel. 877/423-1702).
Doctor -- There are now urgent-care centers in strip malls throughout the Valley.
Emergencies -- For police, fire, or medical emergencies, phone tel. 911.
Hospitals -- The Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, which Phoenicians refer to by its old name, Good Samaritan or “Good Sam,” is closest to downtown. It’s at 1111 E. McDowell Rd. (www.bannerhealth.com; tel. 602/839-2000). In Scottsdale, the HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center, 7400 E. Osborn Rd. (tel. 480/882-4000) is right on the edge of downtown.
Lost Property -- If you lose something at the airport, call tel. 602/273-3333 or e-mail lostandfound@phoenix.gov; for anything that was lost on a Valley Metro bus or the light rail, call tel. 602/534-5053.
Newspapers & Magazines -- The Arizona Republic (azcentral.com) is Phoenix’s daily newspaper. New Times (phoenixnewtimes.com) is the alternative weekly with a long history of investigative reporting and provocative articles; it can be found downtown in street boxes and in the hipper restaurants and cafes. Neither website is particularly user-friendly, but poke around and you can often find interesting things to do.
Pharmacies -- Walgreens and CVS outlets dot the city. In downtown Phoenix there’s a big CVS (pharmacy tel. 602/296-7611) in the far southwest corner of the mall at CitySpace center, on the corner of 1st Ave. and W. Jefferson St., open 6am–10pm.
Post Office -- The Phoenix Downtown Post Office, 522 N. Central Ave. (tel. 602/253-9648) is open Monday–Friday 9am–5pm. In Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Post Office, 1776 N. Scottsdale Rd. (tel. 480/948-1448) is open Monday–Friday 8:30am–4:30pm and Saturday 9am–3:30pm.
Safety -- Crime isn’t a terrible problem in Phoenix; the number of property and violent crimes has been dropping for decades, even as the city’s population has grown. Downtown and the Central Corridor are among the safest areas of the city. That said, there’s little reason to walk into sparsely populated and unknown areas day or night. Rental cars are targets, so don’t leave phones, laptops, or valuables in them. Once in a while, a road-rage incident is reported. Drive sensibly and let aggressive drivers have their way. Here’s the most important safety tip I can give you: Look twice before stepping out onto just about any street, driveway, parking lot, or intersection, and that goes double if you’re on a bike. This is a car town; pedestrians in general and bike lanes in particular are new phenomena in much of the Valley.
Taxes -- Local taxes are about 9% in total on most but not all goods. Gas is far cheaper—like, $1 a gallon cheaper—here than in Nevada or California, so fill up before you cross the border. Hotel room taxes vary by city but are mostly between 12% and 15%. Car rental taxes bite: Expect to pay 50% over the daily rate.
Neighborhoods in Brief
The Valley of the Sun (or just “the Valley”) encompasses Phoenix and a metropolitan area of more than 20 cities. Phoenix has some 1.6 million residents (more than Philadelphia, fewer than Houston); the whole metropolitan area has a population of 4.6 million. Besides Tempe and Scottsdale, there are now genuine downtown “scenes” in cities like Gilbert. Still, much of the Valley will come across as undifferentiated suburb to those from just about anywhere other than the Sun Belt. You have to remember that great restaurants or shops are often found in an unprepossessing strip mall.
Downtown Phoenix -- While residents of the outer city and the suburbs often use this term to refer to central Phoenix generally, the actual Downtown, with its high-rise office towers, is clustered around Central Avenue and Washington Street and stretches from 7th Street to 7th Avenue. (The state government complex is a mile west.) Here you’ll find Arizona State University’s ever-expanding downtown Phoenix campus, as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field and the Phoenix Suns’ Talking Stick Resort Arena. Several major performing arts venues and museums are located close by, and there’s a big convention center.
Heading north on Central, the area around the intersection of Indian School Rd. is called Midtown. The intersection of Central Avenue and Camelback Road a mile north is Uptown, which has several good restaurants and even—heavens!—actual pedestrians. From there, Central Avenue continues north through miles of expensive homes.
Biltmore District -- “The Biltmore,” as it’s called, 3 miles east of Uptown on the Camelback Corridor, centers on Camelback Road between 24th and 40th streets. You’ll find upscale shopping, a few residential and office towers, and local landmarks like the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, the Wrigley Mansion, and the chi-chi Biltmore Fashion Park shopping mall, at 24th Street and Camelback Road.
Arcadia -- Just east of the Biltmore, Arcadia includes the intersection of Camelback and 44th Street, a cluster of upscale stores and restaurants, and some very expensive homes stretching east toward Scottsdale and creeping up the sides of Camelback Mountain. Indian School Road, a mile south of Camelback, has become a strip of lively restaurants as well.
Scottsdale -- Scottsdale, a narrow city of 250,000, forms the east border of Phoenix. It extends from Tempe in the south up past Carefree in the north, a distance of some 30 miles. Downtown Scottsdale includes Old Town (Western-themed galleries and shops), the Waterfront (upscale shopping and restaurants next to a canal), the swanky Scottsdale Fashion Square mall, and a raucous nightlife quarter. North Scottsdale has miles and miles of shopping and restaurants along Scottsdale and Hayden roads.
Tempe -- Tempe is the home of Arizona State University and has lots of nightclubs and bars as well as all the other trappings of a university town. Mill Avenue, which has dozens of interesting shops along a stretch of about 6 blocks, is the center of activity both day and night. This is one of the few areas in the Valley where locals actually walk the streets and hang out at sidewalk cafes. (Old Town Scottsdale always has people on its streets, but few are locals.)
Paradise Valley -- This 15-square-mile residential enclave, surrounded by Phoenix and Scottsdale, is largely nestled between Camelback and Mummy mountains north of the Biltmore. Multi-acre desert lots with expensive homes are ringed by gazillion-dollar mountainside manses. The town is spotted with topline resorts as well.
Mesa -- This fast-growing eastern suburb, home to some tech activity and an extravagant Mormon Temple, is marked by large shopping malls, numerous chain motels, and the beautiful Mesa Arts Center.
Gilbert -- A welcome respite from the somewhat bland East Valley, charming downtown Gilbert is a few blocks of two-story buildings fronting N. Gilbert Road a few miles south of route 60. It has several restaurants and an old-fashioned water tower that stands over a fun splash pad for kids.
Chandler -- Lying to the south of Tempe, this city has been booming over the past decade. New restaurants have opened, and the old downtown has had a bit of a face-lift. This area is of interest primarily to east Valley residents, but there is an attractive older resort right in downtown Chandler.
Glendale -- The Valley’s major northwest suburb has a semi-historic downtown, with dozens of antiques shops. A few miles west of that is an enormous sports, entertainment, and shopping complex, which includes the University of Phoenix Stadium, where the Arizona Cardinals play football, and the Gila River Arena, home of the Phoenix Coyotes hockey team. A casino is under construction just to the north.
Carefree & Cave Creek -- About 20 miles north of Old Scottsdale, these two communities represent the Old West and the New West. Carefree is a planned community and home to the prestigious Boulders Resort and el Pedregal shopping center. Neighboring Cave Creek, on the other hand, plays up its Western heritage with contemporary cow-town architecture and a preponderance of saloons, steakhouses, and shops selling Western crafts and other gifts.
